Today’s episode features a powerful interview with Jessica Bennett – a journalist who writes on gender, sexuality, and culture. She recently authored the book Feminist Fight Club, an office survival guide for a sexist workplace that’s packed with hilarity and insights on the subtle and sneaky sexism that still exists in modern workplaces today.

Jessica talks about how women have been programmed to feel competitive with each other, whether it’s okay to cry at work, and shares practical tools and techniques for dealing with sexism at work. She also shares how she overcame imposter syndrome to write for big names like the Times, and how you can overcome self doubts too.

Show Notes:
- A “geeky” girl with unyielding ambition and lots of lofty goals. [0:00]
- How she began to notice that the men around her were getting promoted faster and published more often, and how that led to uncovering an amazing story about women in the 70s who had felt the same frustration… [1:56]
- Growing up in liberal Seattle, Jessica admits that she wasn’t always interested in gender issues, and shares how she came to form the first feminist fight club. [6:03]
- Majo and Jessica talk about the subtle and insidious nature of sexism even in modern and progressive workplaces. [10:30]
- Diving into the book, Feminist Fight Club: How we self-sabotage, dealing with imposter syndrome, and more. [11:13]
- How women are programmed to feel competitive with each other: “It doesn’t have to be this way… we have the power to change this.” [15:52]
- To cry or not to cry at work? Jessica breaks down the stigmas around crying. [20:29]
- How communication and speech impacts the way we are perceived, and other stereotypes on how women are supposed to behave. [25:55]
- On reclamation, and the importance of bringing humor into issues like this. [31:49]
- How we can bring men into this conversations, the surprising thing that Jessica has reclaimed on her journey, and her advice to women. [35:26]

References:
http://www.feministfightclub.com/
http://www.jessicabennett.me/

Episode Sponsor:
UENO - http://ueno.co/

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com